Dorset Apple Cake

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4.85 from 26 votes

This easy Dorset apple cake is simple to make, delicious, packed with flavour with chunks of apple and dried fruit. No mixing machine needed! Add a dollop of cream for a real treat with this classic British bake.

Servings: cake

Author: Helen Best-Shaw

Prep Time10

Cook Time40

Total Time50

Ingredients

225 g flour
1 tsp baking powder
2 tsp ground cinnamon
115 g butter - unsalted
115 g light brown sugar
1 egg - beaten
6-8 tbsp milk
225 g apple - peeled, cored and diced
100 g dried fruit

Instructions

Heat the oven to 160°C (Fan)/320°F (Fan)/gas mark 4. Grease and line a deep 15 cm (1lb) loaf tin with baking parchment.
Mix the flour, baking powder and cinnamon together in a large bowl.
Cube the butter and rub it into the flour using your fingers, until it resembles fine breadcrumbs.
Stir in the light brown sugar.
Break the egg into a small bowl, beat it briefly and then fold into the mixture.
Add the milk and fold it in. You want a smooth, thick batter, so if needed, add more milk.
Add the dried fruit to the batter. Peel the apple, and cut into 1cm cubes and add to the batter, and fold together.
Pour the batter into the loaf tin and level with a spatula. Sprinkle with demerara sugar or flaked almonds.
Bake for for 40-45 minutes, until golden and a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.
Allow to cool in the tin for 15 minutes and then carefully turn out onto a wire rack to cool further.

Notes

To make a Dorset apple tray bake use a 6" x 6" tin and bake for 25 - 30 minutes
Make a gluten free Dorset apple cake by substituting your favourite gluten free flour
Vary the spices by using it up with a pinch of ground mixed spice or all spice
Vary the dried fruit, or leave it out. The first time we made this Dorset apple cake we used chopped dried apricots in place of the mixed fruit and topped with flaked almonds.
Swap up to a third of the flour with the same volume of ground almonds.
Make a boozy Dorset Apple cake with cider by using cider in place of the milk
Swap the butter for oil and leave the egg out to make an egg free Dorset apple cake.
Because of the chunks of fruit this cake won't keep for that long, store in an airtight tin for 2 days, or wrapped in foil in the fridge for 4.

Nutritional information

This recipe is 10 Weight watchers Smart Points per portion

• Please note that the nutrition information provided below is approximate and meant as a guideline only.

• Unless stated otherwise cup conversions have been made with an online tool. For accuracy please check with your favoured conversion tool. We recommend buying inexpensive digital kitchen scales.